1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the controlling of an automated warehouse capable of automatically receiving and delivering articles or more in particular to the controlling of an automated warehouse whereby stored articles are allotted according to predetermined logics for efficient delivery and the delivery operation is balanced for each storage block of the warehouse thereby to perform efficient delivery by reducing inter-block concentration work amount for successful operation of the warehouse.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Flow of articles called the commodity distribution is, in brief terms, the processes through which raw materials are transformed by manufacture (or processing), shipped and delivered to general users. Of all these steps of distribution, considerable labor-saving means have been introduced into the manufacturing step, resulting in the tendency toward an increasingly reduced rate at which the cost of manufacturing step occupies a part of the entire production cost entailed through the commodity distribution. On the other hand, have a tendency to incur a large expense which is increasing more and more. Under these circumstances, it is important to improve the efficiency of the management and operation of distribution centers and warehouses which are nodes of the commodity distribution and which function to perform the switching between different types of transportation.
This invention provides an automated warehouse which functions as such a distribution node and a method of operation and management thereof.
Generally, a warehouse comprises a plurality of storage blocks each including a plurality of storage racks, and a plurality of stacker cranes for the purpose of performing delivery services in compliance with customer requisitions or requisitions for packing. In spite of the fact that the efficiency of delivery depends on the manner in which articles are stored, the method of the conventional storage lacks any logics but is based merely on the past experience. As a result, interblock work is not balanced in amount but in some cases delivery services to customers are concentrated on specific blocks. This is detrimental to the highly efficient use of the automated warehouse and also leads to the disadvantage of much time required for delivery services. For this reason, it has been earnestly desired, as a problem to be solved, to realize an optimum method of storage and that of delivery in line therewith which are capable of displaying the full ability of the warehouse as measured in terms of delivery volume per unit time no matter how many items of articles to be delivered are involved.
Another problem to be tackled is one of how to balance inter-block work for delivery services. To overcome this problem, a method of storage has been conceived in which storage spaces are allotted to a plurality of items of articles in such a manner as to allow them to be delivered from any storage blocks in compliance with delivery requisitions for a plurality of items. In an extreme case according to such a method, all the items involved are allotted to each of the storage blocks.
In the case where a customer requisitions the delivery of a multiplicity of articles of the same item, however, the disadvantage results that, for lack of a sufficient number of articles of the particular item in each aisle, an increased amount of concentration work is required. If the storage aisles are restricted for respective particular items, on the other hand, an increased amount of concentration work results for delivery in response to an order placed by a customer for articles of a plurality of items.
In view of the fact that the balance of inter-block work for delivery is inherently incompatible with the need for the decreased concentration work to meet each customer's requirement, it is necessary to maintain an equilibrium between them in operation and management of the automated warehouse.
In the conventional warehouse in which spaces for storing articles are allotted illogically on the sole basis of experience, the decision on delivery schedule to meet delivery requisitions for a plurality of items which may be issued at the same time by a plurality of customers requires much time on the one hand and a data processing system of a large memory capacity on the other.
The present invention is intended to obviate the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art and provides an automated warehouse and a control method for such an automated warehouse for performing efficient delivery services.